Alex Brown

PRACTICE REPORT: Earlier this week, Florida defensive end Alex Brown was not sure he would play Saturday against Mississippi State. The All-American said his girlfriend had complications with her pregnancy, which could have caused her to go into labor as soon as Saturday. Now Brown can play -- as a father. "Alex is out here," Coach Steve Spurrier said. "Had a baby boy today. Almost five pounds. [His girlfriend] and kid are doing fine." . . . INJURIES: CB Lito Sheppard (groin) is expected to play, but Spurrier said if he could not go Saturday, then Robert Gillespie will return kickoffs and Jabar Gaffney will return punts.

The story behind how the Chicago Bears wound up taking defensive end Alex Brown in the fourth round of the 2002 draft involves first-year general manager Phil Emery , who served as the club's Southeast scout at the time. It's a lesson in perseverance, practice habits and diligent scouting, but it's one that can be applied to all walks of life. Emery shared it earlier this week at training camp at Olivet Nazarene in Bourbonnais as the team finalized plans to honor Brown, who retired as a Bear in a pregame ceremony Thursday.

When Alex Brown competes in this month's World Wakeboard Association World Championships in Texas he won't exactly be focused on bringing home a title. "I'd like to come back with a strong performance," said Brown, a Mount Dora High School graduate. "A title would be a little unrealistic right now. I'd like to make it through a couple rounds." Brown understands reality. To put the fear of losing into the world's top wakeboarders such as Danny Harf or Shaun Murray, Brown needs more time on the water.

When asked if he has made a "signature hit" this year, junior MLB Brandon Spikes gave a quick response: "No, not at all." That attitude -- the one that makes him keep pushing himself -- is a big part of the reason why Spikes has been named one of five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Award, given annually to the best defensive player by the Football Writers Association of America. Spikes is the third Gator to ever be a finalist for the award, joining Reggie Nelson (2006) and Alex Brown (2001)

Grace Leimberger has grown up the opposite of her father, Tom Leimberger. Her dad is the longtime golf pro at Pine Meadows Country Club in Eustis. Grace hates the game of golf. "A lot of people I talk to, they know my last name and they ask me, `So you play any golf lately?' " Grace Leimberger said. "For me, it [golf] just wasn't thrilling enough. Golf is way too boring for me. It is too slow of a pace. For [older sister] Katie, it was fine and she is good at it, but it wasn't for me."

GAINESVILLE -- Alex Brown was at peace with his decision to return to Florida for a senior season. He wanted to chase a national championship. He wanted to earn a degree. He wanted to prove critics wrong. Brown was able to dismiss agents who told him Coach Steve Spurrier was "trying to hold you back." He was able to dismiss friends who told him he was crazy to pass up on millions. What was hardest was saying no to his parents, mother Essie who doesn't work and father James who spends each day at a phosphate plant.

GAINESVILLE -- Perhaps the most important statistic for the Florida defense is the "big play." While "big play" may sound like an abstract term, the football coaching staff has found a way to quantify it. Each sack, tackle for loss, forced fumble, fumble recovery, pass deflection or interception counts as a big play. Last season, All-American end Alex Brown led UF in big plays with 39.5, including a school single-season-record 13 sacks. That number could increase this season because Florida defensive coordinator Jon Hoke and defensive ends coach Jim Collins have made adjustments to take advantage of Brown's talents.

There's a lot of construction going on these days around the Florida campus in Gainesville. Getting Alex Brown next to the road grater was the easy part. But after a few minutes in front of Orlando Sentinel photographer Gary Bogdon's camera, that sledgehammer started to get really heavy.

For months, Central Florida's brokerage community had buzzed with speculation that Alex Brown Inc. was about to open an office in Orlando or Tampa. But Brown, a regional brokerage based in Baltimore, said it has no plans to do so. Brown now has only one Florida office, which opened in Jacksonville in 1972. ''There is nothing in the works right now,'' Gartrell Milam, Brown's Jacksonville manager, said of another Florida office. However, he said, ''If we found a group of people we were compatible with, we would establish an office in Orlando or Tampa or both.

CB Derrick Jackson was awarded Wednesday off waivers to the Miami Dolphins, his fourth NFL team since his rookie year in 2005. Johnson, a sixth-round draft choice by San Francisco, played in 14 games as a rookie and started five. He was waived by San Francisco and spent last season with Houston and Atlanta, playing as a reserve in five games. He was on the Falcons' injured-reserve list for the final five games. Ticket sales hot in London The first regular-season NFL game outside North America is shaping up as a hot ticket.

When Alex Brown competes in this month's World Wakeboard Association World Championships in Texas he won't exactly be focused on bringing home a title. "I'd like to come back with a strong performance," said Brown, a Mount Dora High School graduate. "A title would be a little unrealistic right now. I'd like to make it through a couple rounds." Brown understands reality. To put the fear of losing into the world's top wakeboarders such as Danny Harf or Shaun Murray, Brown needs more time on the water.

Grace Leimberger has grown up the opposite of her father, Tom Leimberger. Her dad is the longtime golf pro at Pine Meadows Country Club in Eustis. Grace hates the game of golf. "A lot of people I talk to, they know my last name and they ask me, `So you play any golf lately?' " Grace Leimberger said. "For me, it [golf] just wasn't thrilling enough. Golf is way too boring for me. It is too slow of a pace. For [older sister] Katie, it was fine and she is good at it, but it wasn't for me."

KISSIMMEE -- Two-time high school state wrestling champion Javier Maldonado is the Sentinel's Osceola County wrestler of the year. "I think my mom [Olga Bird] and my little brother [Gaby] are more excited," said Maldonado, 18, an Osceola High senior. Nearly a week after winning the Class 3A, 112-pound state championship in double overtime March 1 against South Miami senior Fredy Carosio, Maldonado has not allowed himself to bask in glory. A self-imposed "no celebration" moratorium remains in effect until after the National High School Coaches Association Senior Nationals March 28 in Cleveland.

KISSIMMEE -- Coming back from a 5-0 deficit to secure his second Florida Finals wrestling championship in three years, Javier Maldonado's body did the talking. And it spoke volumes. With clinched fists thrust skyward, he heaved his chiseled 112-pound body high off a padded mat toward the ceiling in cavernous Lakeland Center. Muted by thousands of fans chanting "Javy! Javy! Javy!" Saturday, the scream that started near the Osceola High School senior's toes was never heard. But all bore witness to an Arnold Schwarzenegger-like bodybuilder pose.

PRACTICE REPORT: Sophomore quarterback Rex Grossman was named as one of five offensive player-of-the-year candidates by the Football News on Tuesday and defensive end Alex Brown was named one of five finalists for the Nagurski Award, given annually to the nation's top defender. . . . Florida will not practice today and is on break until Monday when it begins preparations for the Tennessee Volunteers. . . . Coach Steve Spurrier disputed the perception that Florida is a more of a veteran team than Florida State.

PRACTICE REPORT: Sophomore quarterback Rex Grossman was named as one of five offensive player-of-the-year candidates by the Football News on Tuesday and defensive end Alex Brown was named one of five finalists for the Nagurski Award, given annually to the nation's top defender. . . . Florida will not practice today and is on break until Monday when it begins preparations for the Tennessee Volunteers. . . . Coach Steve Spurrier disputed the perception that Florida is a more of a veteran team than Florida State.

PRACTICE REPORT: Earlier this week, Florida defensive end Alex Brown was not sure he would play Saturday against Mississippi State. The All-American said his girlfriend had complications with her pregnancy, which could have caused her to go into labor as soon as Saturday. Now Brown can play -- as a father. "Alex is out here," Coach Steve Spurrier said. "Had a baby boy today. Almost five pounds. [His girlfriend] and kid are doing fine." . . . INJURIES: CB Lito Sheppard (groin) is expected to play, but Spurrier said if he could not go Saturday, then Robert Gillespie will return kickoffs and Jabar Gaffney will return punts.

There's a lot of construction going on these days around the Florida campus in Gainesville. Getting Alex Brown next to the road grater was the easy part. But after a few minutes in front of Orlando Sentinel photographer Gary Bogdon's camera, that sledgehammer started to get really heavy.